Pratik Desai

From designing mechanical systems to architecting payment platforms serving millions of users, my unconventional journey into software engineering has shaped how I approach building resilient and scalable systems.

I started my career as a Mechanical Engineer working on piping design and stress simulations. While using C/C++ for simulation tooling, I discovered my interest in software engineering. What began as weekend experiments building small applications soon became a full transition into backend development.

I prepared intensively, secured All India Rank 34 in the C-DAC entrance exam, and completed my PG Diploma in Advanced Computing from C-DAC ACTS Pune, which launched my career in software engineering.

My journey in fintech began at Volante Technologies, where I worked on enterprise payment infrastructure contributing to the VolPay platform, recognized by the IBS Intelligence Awards and used by financial institutions such as Goldman Sachs.

I later joined TartanHQ as a Founding Software Engineer, working directly with the CEO and CTO to build products from day zero. I helped build the Perks employee benefits platform, onboarded 30K+ concurrent users generating $66K/month revenue, and designed distributed systems and integrations across multiple providers.

Today I focus on designing high-scale backend systems and event-driven platforms handling large volumes of data and financial transactions. Recently, I've also been working on AI-powered developer tooling and production support agents using RAG pipelines and LLM APIs.

Beyond code, I'm a National Level Taekwondo player who has won multiple gold medals and represented Maharashtra State. Music is my other passion - as a guitarist and vocalist, I've been part of an indie-rock band performing at venues like Hard Rock Cafe and Blue Frog. Whether it's sports, music, or software - I love finding new ideas and turning them into reality from scratch.